We remembered the people of Parihaka...
Nearly one hundred and fifty years ago there was a village in Taranaki called Parihaka. It lay between the Taranaki coast and Taranaki mountain.
This village was special because people from many different Māori tribes had come to live there. Many had had their land confiscated and needed a safe place to live – to grow their food and raise their families. Parihaka was also a special place because it was a place of peace.
The leaders of the village were Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi. They didn’t believe in fighting. They had heard the words of Jesus in the Bible which said, “If anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well”. They told the people to put away their weapons. They told them that if government soldiers came to take their land, they should greet them with gifts.
One early morning in Parihaka an important event occurred. The people were just beginning to move around the village when a large albatross came down to land on Tohu’s marae and left a feather there. The people believed that the albatross was a chiefly bird with much mana. By landing on Tohu’s marae, the albatross was indicating that Tohu was a great chief and the people should listen to him. The people began to follow the ways that Tohu taught them. And the albatross feather (or raukura) became an important sign for the people of Parihaka.
The children of Parihaka were called tātarakihi which means ‘cicadas’. The older people said they sounded like cicadas because they chattered so much. The children had jobs to do at Parihaka. They helped to feed the hens and the pigs, and they helped to grow food in the gardens. They also played together and learned to dance and sing.
One day Tohu and Te Whiti called the people to the marae, and told them:
“Kua rere mai te kōrero ki ō mātou tāringa, āpōpō ka tae mai ngā hōia ki konei ki te raupatu i ō tātou whenua. Me noho tātou ki konei, ki runga i te marae ātea, tatari ai ki a rātou. Ka tunu ngā wāhine i te parāoa mā rātou, ka waiata hoki ngā tamariki ki te ope hōia.”
“We have heard that the soldiers are coming tomorrow to try to make us leave our land. We will sit here on the marae and wait for them. The women will bake bread for them and the children will sing and dance.”
So, late into the night the people of Parihaka prepared for the soldiers to come. Just before the sun rose on November 5th 1881, the children went out onto the road leading into the village. When the soldiers arrived with their guns they saw the children of Parihaka singing and dancing in the road with albatross feathers in their hair.
The children couldn’t stop the soldiers from entering the village and taking the men to prison, but they made the soldiers ashamed of their swords and their guns. No-one was killed in Parihaka that day because the people refused to fight the soldiers with weapons. Instead they stood up to them with courage and mana.
Sometimes the descendants of the people of Parihaka wear albatross feathers to remember the dignity of their tūpuna and how they resisted giving up their land without using violence.
After we read the story, we wrote words that meant the same as peace in our raukura and prayed for the people of Parihaka.
Do you do anything special for Parihaka?
Here's Ormond's work...
This year we have been enjoying learning our local pūrakau. This week we learnt the story of Paikea.
Do you know the story of Paikea?
Do you know any pūrakau from where you live?
Here's our artwork about Paikea.
How good is your maths?
Test it on the quizzes below that Room 4 made today using Scratch Jnr.
The answers had to be made as characters. The screen recording below shows the game being played with the incorrect answers being tapped first. Then the correct answer is tapped - and look what happens!
Some of us got very creative on our "Congratulations" scene.
If you want to be able to make one of these, the instructions are on our class site here.
As part of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori we made a Scratch Jnr project on our iPad.
We inserted 2 characters and used the microphone to add speech so they could greet each other.
Our class made Beeswax wraps. We brought a piece of cotton material to school. The wax was melted so we could spread it over the material with brushes.
We used iMovie on our iPads to make a movie about making the wrappers. You can watch them below.
We have been busy writing our speeches and next week we will be presenting them to the class. Our topic is NZ wildlife. We could choose any creature we liked. We started with our pepeha then a hook to grab the audiences attention and then wrote facts. We have ended with an "I" statement e.g "I think tūī are beautiful birds because their feathers shimmer in the sunlight.
Have you ever said a speech? Do you have any tips for us when we say them in front of others?
We started to make the Kawakawa balm from the leaves and stems of the plant. It's growing in our Rongoā Garden (Healing Garden) at school and by our worm farm. There's also lots growing around Tairāwhiti especially up Kaiti Hill. Whenever we pick the leaves, it's important to think about the care of the plant and it's future growth. Never take too much and whatever you don't use, always return to the base of the plant. Saying a karakia asking for permission to take some leaves and thanking God for this wonderful gift is also part of the process.
Picking leaves with holes is best - insects know best! What they eat is the most potent and this is what we want.
Making the infused Kawakawa oil
First you need to make the Kawakawa oil. You can add essential oils such as lavender or tea-tree for extra medicinal purposes but we chose not to as some people don't react positively to them.
Tearing the leaves and stalks of the Kawakawa, they were then placed in a crockpot with 1 litre of olive oil. The leaves had to be under the oil. Then the crockpot was turned onto the lowest setting possible and left for a couple hours. Each day we turn the crockpot on for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. We will do this for about a week to make sure the Kawakawa is infused into the oil then it will be strained through a muslin cloth into a jar.
We will let you know the second part of the process once we have done it.
Have you ever tasted Kawakawa leaves? It has a peppery taste and can be used in cooking instead of pepper. Make sure you ask an adult before you eat any leaves to make sure you are eating the correct plant.
Kawakawa balm is good for dry lips, skin irritations (eczema and psoriasis), bites, sores, and nappy rash. It's also useful for treating infections, and it is really helpful in reducing inflammation. Kawakawa balm is non-sting, so perfect for kids and any skin scrapes!
Have you ever healed yourself using New Zealand's native plants?
If you have been reading our blog then you will know we have been learning about dinosaurs. Today we were paleontologists and had a DINOSAUR DIG!
First, we had to find the chunk of plaster of paris in the sandpit. They were very hard to find and we had to persevere. After we found one, we had to carefully dig into it to reveal the dinosaur. Next we identified our dinosaur using some resources. We had so much fun!
We are learning about dinosaurs that lived in Aotearoa. This week, we have been writing reports and painting pictures of them.
So far, we have watched YouTube clips about them and found some written facts. Did you know pterosaurs aren't actually dinosaurs? They are flying reptiles!
Here's Lincoln's report...
Pterosaurs
Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are, in fact, flying reptiles.
Did you know they were as big as a fighter jet and their wingspan was 10.6 metres? They had hollow bones and super, sharp teeth. Pterosaurs had hooked claws. That is weird but useful for not dropping prey in flight.
They lived from the late Triassic period to the end of the Cretaceous period.
Did you know that a young pterosaur is called a flapling?
Pterosaurs liked to eat fish and smaller things.
I think dinosaurs are cool.
Do you know which dinosaurs lived in Aotearoa?
This week our whānau are coming into our classroom so we can talk about our learning with them. First we will introduce our family to our teacher and then ask them to sign the Guest Register. We will pull out a chair for them and ask them to sit down. Then we are going to be talking to them about all the things we have been learning, why we have been learning it and what our next steps in learning will be. We are also reading our Writing to them, showing them what we are up to in Maths, sharing our favourite iMovie we have made and showing them our R.E. books and art. At the end we will call Mrs Naden, our teacher, over to talk about our next learning goals.
Have you ever talked to your whānau about your learning?
We have been reading and learning about Matariki. We have learnt about the 9 stars and what they represent. We've also had a shared Matariki breakfast with our whānau, wished on Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, planted native trees and written poems.
Our school has a new bike track. We have a container filled with bikes and helmets for us to use. We have learnt how to:
We are a Green/Gold Enviroschool - the first city school in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa to become one. Years ago, we started planting a native reserve which is now quite big. Today we went and collected seeds and cuttings because autumn is a great time to do this. Kauri and Bridget, from The Women's Native Tree Trust, showed us how to get the seeds from the pods and strip a cutting off. We were careful not to take too many from one tree.
We also learnt quite a lot of other things. We all knew that the Māori Battalion fought courageously in the war under horrendous conditions. But did you know that their whānau back home picked the tips of the koromiko leaves, dried them and sent them to their fathers and sons? The soldiers chewed the leaves which cured them of dysentery and this most likely saved their lives! Ngaio is an insect repellent. Rub the leaves on your legs and the mosquitoes won't come near you. Karamu leaves are for your sore puku. Take the leaves at the tips. Try and take multiples of 12 because that's being kind to the tree by not taking too many. Put the leaves in a cup and pour boiling water over them. By the time it's cool enough for kids to drink, the magic is done. Just drink the cup. Don't eat the leaves.
After we had collected the seeds and cuttings, we bused to The Women's Native Tree Nursery to learn about propagation. We dipped the cuttings in water and rooting compound (a powder that gives them a boost to grow), planted the seeds into a cutting mix and the cuttings into small pots. We also clipped the kōwhai seeds before planting them otherwise they won't grow.
Next term we will go back and re-pot them into bigger pots. The Women's Native Tree Trust will then gift them to other schools and organisations who want to plant native trees like us. This is a great act of service and a wonderful way to re-cloak Papatūānuku.
We are also going to learn more about Rongoā Māori.
What do you know about native trees and rongoā?
Zoe and Vinnie worked really fast and managed to do a voice over as well.
What do you have at your school that you really like?
Today in our Cybersmart lesson we explored the posts on our class blog.
Mrs Naden has had this blog for 4 years. She used to be in Room 1 and there are lots of blog posts about the learning in Room 1 for 3 years. This is a Blogger blog. Some classes are now using edublogs.
You can read our comments and post a comment as well.
Remember to write comments that are positive, thoughtful and helpful.
Here is a diagram to show you how to read the comments in Blogger.
We made a project in Explain Everything and learned how to take a photo of ourselves, how to find photos of our favourite things and how to record our voice.
Here is Seb's mahi from today. Do you like the same things as Seb?
Have you read the book "8 Gangling Arms"? We have! It is Sea Week so we read this book.
In our Cybersmart lesson with Mrs Torrie we were learning how to use Explain Everything.
This year Room 4 are using iPads in their learning everyday.
We have started creating our Kawa of Care which helps us to use our iPads safely and efficiently.
Can you think of anything else we need in our Kawa of Care?
